


Night Swimming

by GwendolynGrace



Series: Blackstory [3]
Category: Alternity - A Harry Potter Alternate Universe, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter Alternity - Fandom
Genre: Blackstory, Canon Backstory, Canon Compliant, Gen, HP Alternity, RPG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 19:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4758311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwendolynGrace/pseuds/GwendolynGrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following an incident at Borgin and Burke's, Regulus has a nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Swimming

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2008-2010. This is one of a series of "Blackstory" - backstory about the Blacks - that I wrote while playing in the RPG, HP Alternity. The actions of the characters were approved by the players at the time this was written. Also, because the events occur prior to the point of divergence, it can be considered canon-compliant.

January, 1966

The wailing woke him up, but Sirius wilfully burrowed deeper into his covers. Let Kreacher leave his warm nest and manage Reg’s terror. That’s what the elf was for, anyway. 

But Reg didn’t wait for Kreacher. He didn’t even knock. He tore into Sirius’ room and dove under the covers on the opposite side of the bed.

‘What? Hey, Goblin, what--’ Sirius trailed off as he realised Reg was still crying and trembling. He sat up and pulled Reg closer. ‘Another lethifold dream?’ he asked once he got his brother calmed down.

Reg shook his head miserably. He fought off fresh sobs as he explained, so it was hard to understand. ‘Father took me to O-o-o-llivanders and we tried every w-w-wand in the whole shop and there w-w-w-were like a million of them all piled up - and none of them worked! And F-f-ather sold me to _him_!”

Sirius knew exactly who ‘he’ was. ‘Mr Burke?’

‘Y-yes!’ Reg wailed.

‘Reg, it’s okay. Father would never sell us to that old crow,’ he assured his brother. ‘And anyway, it’s not going to happen like that. You’ll get a wand when it’s time. We both will.’

‘But the wand chooses,’ Reg went on. ‘What if I can’t do it right? What if it goes away?’

‘It doesn’t work that way. You’ve done magic. You’re not a Squib or anything.’ He rubbed Reg’s back. ‘Once you get your magic, no one can take it away from you. Is this because of Cissy?’

Cousin Cissy had got her wand earlier that week and she had been insufferable about it. Now that all three of their cousins had wands, Sirius expected family parties to be pretty horrid for a while. It would be well over a year - almost two! - before he had one. Father had insisted that they wait until he turned ten, despite Sirius’ many pleas.

Reg nodded, sniffling into Sirius’ nightshirt. 

‘Gross,’ Sirius observed. He leaned over to pull a handkerchief out of the nightstand drawer. ‘Blow,’ he instructed.

Reg complied, taking the handkerchief for himself halfway through. ‘Cissa said she tried about ten wands. She said AuntElla was getting annoyed because it took so long. What if no wand chooses me?’

‘Never happen. Ollivander wands are the best and so are Blacks. And even if there’s no Ollivander wand to suit you, there’s others. French ones, maybe, or German. You could have an exotic wand, then. But it still wouldn’t mean your magic’s gone. So Father wouldn’t sell you to Burke, anyway.’

Regulus swiped his nose with the kerchief again. 

‘Mother might, though,’ Sirius added wryly. It worked: Reg scowled up at him and then giggled. ‘Anyway, that was ages ago. You’re still having nightmares?’

‘Was it awful, going back?’ he asked, instead of answering.

‘To apologise? Nah. He’s just a shopkeep. All I had to do was say I was sorry for trying to steal that statue. It’s true enough, even if it’s not for the reasons he might think. Then Father told him off for putting his Galleon-grubbing hands on us.’ He didn’t add that the worst part of the episode was the punishment he had received for wandering away from Mother in the first place, and for putting Reg in danger. He’d counted twenty strokes before Father lifted the lashing spell, and had been unable to sit or lie down properly for a week. It would still be another month before he was allowed to go into London again, as well.

‘You could’ve blamed me,’ Regulus admitted.

‘Wasn’t your fault,’ Sirius said simply. ‘Shouldn’t have let you goad me into leaving.’ He pinched Reg under the arm, getting a surprised yelp, followed by another laugh. ‘Let it go, Reg. No more nightmares, okay?’

Regulus shrugged. ‘Is Mr Thatcher coming tomorrow?’ 

‘Tomorrow’s Sunday. We can make the attic into a dungeon if you want.’

‘A dungeon?’

‘The dungeon in the Chateau D’If,’ Sirius suggested. ‘And then we’ll escape.’

‘And sneak past the guards,’ Reg supplied.

‘Right. Who are all dragons.’’

‘But we have special breastplates made from our pails. They make us invisible.’

‘Well, they can still smell us, or hear us if we make too much noise.’

‘When do we escape?’ Reg sat up on his knees.

‘We have to wait until low tide,’ Sirius said. The game was taking on its own life, as their games always did. ‘We caught a dove a few weeks ago, and we sent a message to our allies. There will be a boat waiting.’

‘And they’ll take us to Zenda,’ Regulus pronounced, ‘where our people are waiting to welcome the two princes back to the throne.’

‘Right. So we need to get some sleep, because it’ll be a long day tomorrow. Sneaking and swimming--’

‘And taking back our rightful country.’

‘Yeah.’ He smiled and chucked Reg on the arm. ‘Lie down, Goblin.’ He tucked the covers over Reg’s shoulder and spooned around him.

‘What if I have another nightmare?’ Reg asked through a yawn.

‘You won’t. Go to sleep, little brother. It’ll be better in the morning.’

Regulus muttered something that might have been ‘Goodnight.’ Soon his even breathing took Sirius down into sleep.


End file.
